Don't miss

If you’re heading out to Dover, DE later this week for the Firefly Music Festival, don’t miss Texas multi-instrumentalist Conner Youngblood. A recent Yale graduate in American Studies, his music is a melting pot of seemingly incongruous genres and techniques that makes for an exquisite and transcendent outcome. Youngblood’s blending of acoustic and electronic instrumentation with a focus on narrative lyrics is not so surprising, though, after learning he lists Bob Dylan, James Blake and Ray Lamontagne as influential touchstones.

The singer-songwriter released two EPs in quick succession last year – Sketches Pt. 1 and Sketches Pt. 2 – and is currently working on new recordings. Both of last year’s EPs can be downloaded for free here. Catch him on Friday at 3:30 p.m. at The Porch; more information for the festival can be found here. Below, watch a live video of “Australia” and stream “The Warpath,” which was featured as a My Morning Download last August.

While catching headliners like Tom Petty or Vampire Weekend, will certainly be a thrill at this years Firefly Music Festival, happening in Dover, DE this coming weekend, there’s also a certain exhilaration to be found in discovering new bands whose popularity has yet to really take off. If you’re looking for this kind of excitement, the kind that only comes along with hearing an artist for the first time and instantly loving them, then look no further than Nashville natives LEAGUES. The Tennessee trio released its LP You Belong Here earlier this year. A promising debut, the band displays a sound reminiscent of U2 or The Police, while maintaining a more modern sensibility, drawing equal inspiration from more recent acts like Phoenix, as well. The band showcased its delightful pop-rock in a World Cafe Session back in April when David Dye traveled to Nashville, and it is something surely not to miss at Firefly this weekend, where they’ll be performing at the Lawn stage, this Friday, June 21st. Tickets and info can be found here, and check out the video for their track “Spotlight”, below.

It doesn’t seem all that unusual to find Delaware’s The Spinto Band trapped in a world of 80s computer game graphics. With a herky-jerky flair reminiscent of early They Might Be Giants videos, this one for “Amy + Jen” – which premiered on Spin.com last night – sees each of the five Spintos pop on and float around a screen saturated with bright neons and strobing backdrops you might have seen coming out of a Nintendo console or flickering in an arcade 25 years ago. Watch it below; “Amy + Jen” comes from the band’s 2013 release Cool Cocoon, and next Friday it plays Firefly Festival‘s Porch Stage at 2:15; get the details here.

He’s My Brother She’s My Sister are embarking on a long summer tour with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, including a stop at next weekend’s Firefly Festival. In addition, the folk-rock group have put up a live version of their song “How’m I Gonna Get Back Home” on their Bandcamp. It’s a swinging blues-folk number about partying a little too hard. Check it out below and download it for free via their Bandcamppage.

Vampire Weekend have made increasingly imaginative music videos during their career and the quirky creativity continues with the new one for “Diane Young.” The song comes from the band’s latest Modern Vampires of the City LP and gets the visual treatment with help from a table-full of indie favorites. Riffing on “The Last Supper,” the New York City indie pop / afrobeat outfit is flanked by the likes of Sky Ferreira, Dirty Projectors’ Dave Longstreth, Santigold, The Walkmen’s Hamilton Leithauser and more. Despite the dream guest list, the dinner disintegrates into a food fight / nightmare before the band is left at the table alone with a mysteriously masked man. Vampire Weekend plays the Firefly Music Festival in Dover, DE, happening June 21-23. Three-day passes are sold out but single-day tickets are still available here. Watch the video for “Diane Young” below.

Firefly Music Festival has announced its daily lineup of bands that you can check out here. The festival is June 21-23 in Dover, Delware. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are playing on Friday, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers on Saturday evening, Foster The People, Passion Pit and Vampire Weekend on Sunday. Single day tickets are also now available here. WXPN will be at the festival broadcasting live and we look forward to seeing everyone!

As The Swollen Fox shared earlier this morning, Vampire Weekend have shared a lyric video for another new song off of their upcoming Modern Vampires of the City LP. In the video, the lyrics of “Ya Hey” appear over scenes of seemingly ritualistic champagne-popping. Vampire Weekend will release the new album on May 14th, followed by an appearance at the Firefly Festival in Delaware on June 21-23. Tickets and information can be found here. Watch the video for “Ya Hey” below.

About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH

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About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH